FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for disposing of a radioactively contaminated steam generator which contains a multiplicity of U-shaped bent heating tubes opening into a tube base.
Radioactively contaminated steam generators have been exchanged in the past in a series of nuclear power stations. Such exchange schemes are planned or are in preparation in other nuclear power stations. The shutdown radioactively contaminated steam generators are already in the nuclear power stations and, in order to be disposed of, have to be comminuted so that they can be transported and stored in corresponding casks. Such radioactively contaminated steam generators contain several thousand, for example about 4000,heating tubes bent U-shaped, which likewise have to be dismantled and removed in order to dispose of the entire steam generator. During such disposal measures, it is essentially necessary to avoid subjecting the work personnel to an excessive radiation dose and to avoid spreading the contamination.
It is known from Published European Patent Application 0 555 127 A1 for shutdown radioactively contaminated steam generators to be decontaminated chemically for the purpose of storage, repair or disposal, in order to reduce the radiation dose emanating from them.